Irrevocable Fate
by Nueij
Summary: A fate that cannot be turned back. The lingering threads of it catch on the present. A past that is beyond this life. We brought this upon ourselves and must bear with it. Hitsugaya X OC. New 5th Division Captain! After Winter War
1. Chapter 1: Fated Meeting

Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach, and any part of this fanfiction that corresponds with copyrighted material (besides Bleach) is purely coincidental unless I say otherwise. I only own this plot and my original character (OC)

A/N: I will be switching back and forth with Japanese terms, especially with captain and _taichou_. For those who are confused, I'll try to put the English equivalent at the end of each chapter.

**PROLOGUE**

_Twilight…_

_When the untouchable celestial figures of the sun and the moon could be seen together in the same sky…_

_He gazed out on the lake tinged with the sunset's hues before looking down at the tiny figure snuggled in the crook of his arm just as she did. Their eyes stared into each other for a brief moment, teal clashing with amber. Then there was a slight blush before there was a sound of bells, the sound of her laugh. She got up abruptly and tugged on his hand, urging him to get up. _

_He complied, amusement in his eyes before they widened for a second in mild surprise. She had released her wings, feathers red as flames and tipped with gold, that were as large as or even bigger than she was. He contemplated for a minute before he did the same, his more dragon-like and an icy blue, though the same great size. _

_Again, she laughed softly and then took to the air as he followed. In midair, they separated a minute to curtsy and bow appropriately before they closed in again. He wrapped his arm around her waist as she placed a hand on his shoulder. Their free hands intertwined as they began a dance, without music or melody, only to the rhythm of their hearts._

_Twirling and swaying, they danced, now and then locking gazes, causing her to blush ever so slightly and him to smirk a little. Their long tresses of silver and red-tinged gold blew in clouds around them as the wind blew, causing them to intertwine. It was pure happiness. _

_But then, of course, it had to end. _

_Her eyes shifted their view from his eyes to over his shoulder and widened in horror at something he couldn't see. He spun around, ready to protect her against whatever had caused her to look that way. There was a sudden pain in his chest and the bone white mask that covered the monster came closer… and closer… until darkness overtook him…_

Hitsugaya Toshiro suddenly sat bolt upright. He ran his fingers through his hair, which were now drenched in sweat as well as the rest of his body.

_A dream…?_

It had to be a dream, seeing as he was now in his sleeping garments in his futon (1). But… it was too vivid. It was like when he replayed a memory as one of his dreams.

But it was impossible; he never had such a scene in his entire life. And even as he tried to recall the finer details of the "dream", they eluded him. The only detail of the girl he could remember now were eyes the color of amber and hair of red-tinged gold.

Then he shook his head in an effort to clear it. It was idiotic he thought. He, Hitsugaya Toshiro, the youngest captain ever in Soul Society, considered a boy prodigy, now currently 10th Division Captain of the 13 Protection Squads (Gotei 13), was fretting over a petty dream.

After a few moments of pondering over it, he decided to forget everything about the dream that was pestering him so, and lay back down on his futon. But even as he started to drift off into unconsciousness, he couldn't forget the feeling of pure bliss, followed by complete horror, not at the pain, at the thought that the girl would be alone now…

_Who was she?_

**CHAPTER ONE: FATED MEETING**

"Captains, report to Yamamoto-sou-taichou (2) for a meeting in 10 minutes"

Successfully relaying its message, the pink and black butterfly fluttered away from the outstretched finger of captain of 10th Division: Hitsugaya Toshiro.

He sighed; today wasn't a particularly day since Matsumoto, his fuku-taichou (3) had sneaked off _again_ to attend a sake (3) party, inevitably leaving him with all the paperwork. He had finally finished the daunting pile and was ready to take a break when the Hell Butterfly had arrived.

All in all, he wasn't in a good mood when he arrived.

As he waited outside the hall, waiting for the others to appear so they could get the whole thing over with, his thoughts inevitably wandered to the events in the past years. He hadn't had the chance much, being so busy with this and that, perhaps intentionally. It wasn't a particularly good memory.

Nearly 10 years had passed since the Winter War (officially named) had ended. The Hougyoko (5) was safely destroyed and most of the Espada (6) along with the traitor Tosen was eliminated. But Aizen (the mere thought of his name caused bile to rise in his throat) and Ichimaru had escaped. They were pursued, but had disappeared, leaving a wrathful 10th division captain behind.

Several shinigami (7) had died in the battle, and had been mourned, but there weren't as many casualties as one would've guessed. It was probably because of the fact that Yamamoto-sou-taichou had ordered them to attack Los Noches before Aizen could get the Hougyoko to fully awaken.

But the 5th and 9th divisions were still without a captain and had remained so for a few years since there were no possible candidates that could succeed in bankai and were willing to be captain. Then, Kurosaki Ichigo had officially died from a car accident and went from becoming a Shinigami Substitute to 9th Division Captain, no questions asked. Surprisingly, the squad had accepted him without major problems and was now doing well.

Perhaps _too_ well, he though drily. Kurosaki was now and then overwhelmed with the paperwork and ditched it. That left Hisagi fuku-taichou and Rukia (if she had the time; she was promoted to fuku-taichou in 13th Squad) chasing after him for the majority of the day, leaving the mounds of paperwork to get even higher. Then, Matsumoto found about it and ditched _her_ paperwork, having the excuse of looking for Kurosaki-taichou. Simply thinking of the not too rare occurrence made his head ache even more.

The only problem now was 5th Division, who was still currently a Captain short and practically a Vice-Captain as well. They had suffered the most shock from Aizen's betrayal and also had the most casualties from the war as well. They were holding up okay, but it was painfully obvious that it was only a matter of time before the division would crumble without a strong leader to support it.

Which brought him back to the problem of Bed-wetter Momo.

During the Winter War, she had somehow managed to escape her hospital confines and met Aizen. When he had arrived to get her, she was crumpled on the floor, bleeding profusely and broken mentally at the feet of the one and only Aizen Sousuke. He had charged straight at him, intending to serve justice without mercy to the one who had wounded his childhood friend (though he would never admit out loud), but he had disappeared.

The mere memory caused his blood to boil and he forced himself to calm down.

Looking around, he realized most of the other captains had arrived and were waiting for the meeting to start, some whispering amongst themselves, probably wondering why the sudden meeting. Finally, the doors opened and they filed in, taking their positions in 2 rows before Yamamoto-sou-taichou who was already there and seated.

"As you are all aware of, 5th Division has been without a captain for some time now…" was the opening statement Yamamoto-sou-taichou started with and at that, all of them unconsciously straightened, the same thought running through their heads _'a new captain?'_

The sou-taichou continued, "Though it is a bit later than expected, the new captain for 5th Division is now ready to accept her position."

At his words, a shadow emerged from behind the chair, revealing itself to be what appeared a girl, who in the living world would probably pass as a middle school or maybe high school freshman student. She had already donned the captain's coat for the 5th division over the standard shinigami uniform, though a slight difference in that a red sash went around her waist over the captain's coat, ending in quite a big bow at her back.

She was quite short, about the height of Hitsugaya a few years ago when the whole mess with Aizen had just started. He had grown about 3 inches since then, and was pleased to note that he was now no longer the shortest captain.

Her Zanpaktou (8) was plainly visible and was actually two, crossed in an 'X' shape on her back. That in itself was unusual, but what made it stranger was the fact that they did not even look alike. The one whose hilt could be glimpsed over her left shoulder had a red and white hilt, with a gold-colored guard. It was perfectly circular, with 6 triangles in equal distance from each other on the edges. The sheath was a deep burgundy and revealed that the blade was a bit longer than the average katana (9), much like his.

The other zanpaktou seen over her right shoulder however was a whole different story. The hilt and guard was absolutely black, the guard a simple oval with rolled up edges. The sheath was bone white, almost like a Hollow's and wasn't as long as the other.

It was rare he knew, of a shinigami having 2 zanpaktous, but it was unheard of, or at least to his knowledge that among those few with 2, they didn't resemble each other in the slightest. The only people he knew having 2 zanpaktous were Kyoraku-taichou(10) of Division 8 and Ukitake-taichou of Division 13 and each blade was almost identical to the other in each set. It disturbed him a bit, but he decided it was nothing. After all, everybody's blade was unique.

Her hair was a remarkable color, a very light golden color nearly silver at the roots that steadily darkened to a deep red at the tips. But the most striking feature of the young girl before them was her eyes. They were unnoticed at first due to the bangs shadowing them, but upon looking up, they caught the attention of all captains present.

They were an amber color that contradicted her youthful appearance; seeming to hold knowledge and sadness beyond most people's comprehension. It made everybody slightly shiver inwardly upon gazing. But only one could be seen, the other covered by what appeared to be a bandage that wrapped around her head.

Suddenly he had a jolting thought, 'red-tinged hair and amber eyes, it was like… the girl in his dream' But before it could take solid root in his head, he thrust the idea from his mind, determined not to remember the mysterious dream. Preoccupied with his thoughts, he nearly missed the girl's words.

"Nice to meet you, my name is Shizuka Akari and I am the new 5th Division captain. I look forward to working with you in the future"

Japanese terms-

(1) Futon- Japanese mat used for sleeping

(2) Sou-taichou- Commander Captain

(3) Fuku-taichou- Vice Captain

(4) Sake- Japanese alcohol

(5) Hougyoko- The jewel-like object created by Urahara that Aizen used to grant shinigami powers to Hollows

(6) Espada- Vaste Lorde level Hollow who had been given shinigami powers and whose masks had been mostly removed

(7) Shinigami- death gods

(8) Zanpaktou-(literally) Soul Slayer

(9) Katana- Japanese sword

(10) Taichou- Captain

This is my first fanfic and I would appreciate reviews. Constructive criticism is encouraged though please refrain from flamers. If there is someone willing to help me in little details such as grammar, spelling errors, names, etc, please tell me in a review.


	2. Chapter 2: Guide of Seiretei

Disclaimer: Once again, I do not own Bleach, and any part of this fanfic that corresponds with copyrighted material (besides Bleach) is purely coincidental unless I say otherwise. I only own this plot and my original character (OC)

Note that this story will mainly be working with different point of views. If they aren't named, they are either Shizuka's or Hitsugaya's third-person POV (I will assume that you can tell which is which) or occasionally first-person POV.

"_Nice to meet you, my name is Shizuka Akari and I am the new_ _5th Division captain. I look forward to working with you in the future"_

**CHAPTER TWO: GUIDE OF SEIRETEI (1)**

Her clear voice didn't show even a slight nervousness and rang in the hall.

And even as she said the words and bowed, her eye (not covered by the bandage) met the 11 pairs (2) staring at her. She made eye contact firmly with each of the captains without wavering, showing determination. But as it came to him, the amber locking with his teal, he could swear her eyes softened for a split second and lingered on his before moving on.

That in itself was enough for him to mull over, but what was even more startling was what happened on his part.

The instant they had eye contact, he suddenly had a splitting headache and something in his chest felt pulled forcefully toward the girl. The sensation was extremely painful and not enjoyable.

That wasn't the end either.

Hyorinmaru (3) on his back was pulsating and he could hear the ice dragon's roar in his head, steadily building up and adding to the headache.

Though the pain was excruciating, he clamped his mouth shut and refused to cry out and show weakness, seeing as the other captains had no similar reactions upon eye contact.

When the girl moved her gaze on to the next captain, the intensity of the pain receded, though he still had a dull throbbing in his head and Hyorinmaru on his back pulsed gently. Thankfully, the pull on his chest had stopped and Hyorinmaru had stopped roaring in his mentally battered head.

He closed his eyes in hopes to alleviate the pain, to no avail. Only one thought that was repeated over and over again was clear:

'_What the heck happened?!'_

He didn't have time to actually think of an answer to his own question as the sou-taichou began speaking again.

"Since Shizuka-taichou has not been to Seiretei before and none of the seated officers in her division are currently available, I will need someone to guide her around for today"

At that, the captains glanced around at each other, all of them hoping _someone_ would volunteer so they wouldn't have to do the inconvenient job.

The sou-taichou also looked around before sighing.

"If no one will volunteer, then I will choose. Ahh, Hitsugaya-taichou, would you mind guiding Shizuka-taichou around Seiretei for the day?"

Though it was phrased as a question, it had an underlying tone of an order. Despite that, the 10th Division captain toyed with the idea of saying no.

He had a killer headache, his chest hurt, note, all probably linked to the new captain, and he _deserved_ some rest after going through all that paperwork of his _and_ his fuku-taichou.

In the end however, he decided that refusing flat out would only leave a bad impression and besides, he might learn a bit more about the mysterious new captain and the cause of his reaction to the eye contact.

But even though he tried to lighten his tone, his answer of "hai" (4) still had heavy reluctance, even to his ears.

With his acceptance, most of the others visibly relaxed; glad they wouldn't have to take up the job of guiding the new captain around all of Seiretei. He however gritted his teeth and inwardly sighed.

"Thank you, Hitsugaya-taichou. This meeting is now dismissed" At that, Yamamoto-sou-taichou banged his staff on the floor, ending the meeting.

Most of the captains started to file out of the hall, some lingering probably to discuss things with Yamamoto-sou-taichou.

He waited for the new captain to reach him before starting to walk out as well, not saying a word. He could hear her light footsteps following him though he didn't turn around.

--

'At last' were the only words she could think of when the meeting was officially dismissed.

She too had experienced the painful sensation with Hitsugaya, but it was less excruciating, probably because she was more or less prepared for it.

Also, though she wasn't daunted as much as other people would be at introducing herself, she was not especially enjoying the experience. She wasn't used to being around people but she knew she should start adjusting herself so she would be more comfortable in her new position. After all, starting today she was a captain, who was expected to lead and take charge of her squad which wasn't going to be just a handful of people.

She knew Yamamoto deliberately put Hitsugaya-taichou as her guide; after all, he knew why she was here…

Speaking of him, she could see him waiting for her and hurried a little. When she reached him though, he didn't turn around and just started walking out the hall. She was a little disappointed he didn't say anything, but didn't linger on it. After all, dwelling on it wouldn't make it feel any better. After a while though, as they continued on, she realized he probably wouldn't be saying anything for a while and let her mind wander.

She was jolted from her thoughts though as he began to point out several spots and naming them. She paid attention, seeing that she was going to be living here, but kept quiet. There was no need to talk and she didn't feel particularly inclined for conversation at the moment, rather enjoying the peace the 'tour' had.

All of sudden, amid pointing out the Research Department facilities, he asked a question seemingly just out of curiosity.

"Why haven't you been to Seiretei before?"

She knew he would be curious about her, to say the least after what happened between them in the hall, but was still caught by surprise at the question.

She quickly devised a lie. "I was… sent as part of a long-term patrol squad in the real world immediately upon my graduation. I achieved bankai during my time there and perfected it when I got called in to be the new captain. " She knew it was weak, but it would do for the moment.

--

She was lying.

He could tell that from the first few words out of her mouth. The only question now was why.

It was quite a significant question however. After all, the standard procedure after graduation from the Academy was that they were introduced to their squad and weren't given missions in the real world if ever, until at least a year afterward. Unless, of course, they were immediately promoted as a ranking officer.

But, even then, they were usually given a reprieve time during which they could adjust to their new position in the squad. It was highly unusual, to the point of unheard of for a new recruit (at least not in a time of crisis or immediate need), even a seating officer to never come to Seiretei and get immediately sent to the real world. And the fact that she was lying for her reason made the whole matter even more suspicious.

He opened his mouth, ready to "interrogate" her further for more information when he was unfortunately interrupted by a certain orange-haired 9th division captain.

"OI, TOSHIRO!!"

His eye involuntarily twitched at the near deafening noise knowing who the shouter was without a question.

The shout came across the space between the hallways where the culprit could be seen with his hands cupped around his mouth to amplify the sound (as if he needed it). Then he disappeared for a split second before reappearing in front of the duo with flapping robes.

(Ichigo)

I was trying to escape my paperwork by way of my persistent fuku-taichou when I spotted the new captain along with Toshiro, the spiky white hair unmistakable along with his still short (to me at least) stature. In "normal" circumstances, I would avoid him, knowing that he would personally 'escort' me back to my office for paperwork. Before becoming captain, I would laugh it off, but after becoming one and being personally at the mercy of his wrath (multiple times) for the reason of paperwork, I would rather not be in that situation again. Though I still called him Toshiro… and teased him…

But, seeing that he was currently preoccupied with the new captain (I think her name was Shizuka…?), I decided to take a chance and call out.

Thus, explaining why I was in front of the two short captains, Toshiro looking slightly in a bad mood and looking away, though not before muttering to call him 'Hitsugaya-taichou'. Ignoring him as per usual, I decided to introduce myself, seeing that I was the one who called out and wasn't known to the new captain.

"Ah, hello, nice to meet you, my name's Kurosaki Ichigo, 9th division captain". I bowed before scratching my head sheepishly (a bit too late). It was received by a small smile from the new captain who bowed in turn and answered.

"Nice to meet you, Kurosaki-taichou. My name is Shizuka Akari, as you probably know" The last part was accompanied with a slightly wry smile before she continued, "were you going somewhere?"

I slightly froze, my eyes flickering over to where Toshiro was, who was still fortunately supposedly lost in thought and looking away. I gave a nervous laugh, "ah no, actually, can I go with you, wherever you're going…?"

Shizuka-taichou looked slightly bemused at my nervousness replying. "Well, it's fine with me, but you would have to ask my guide here. Is it okay for Kurosaki-taichou to come with us, Hitsugaya-taichou?"

Upon her question to him, he turned around to look at us, his gaze narrowing slightly at the sight of me. "Kurosaki, don't you have better things to do right now in your spare time?"

I inwardly gulped, though I laughed, hoping that he would just pass over me this time instead of further questioning me. "No, and besides, we haven't seen each other in a while Toshiro!"

His answer came out as a growl from long frustration "Address me as Hitsugaya-taichou!" before his tone calmed down enough to answer "Fine, I'll give you the benefit of the doubt and assume you aren't hiding anything and allow you to accompany us. But if I find out you have been hiding something, I will _personally_ drag you back to your fuku-taichou and confine you there." The steely glint in his eyes gave no compromise and left no question that he was bluffing.

I took that as a yes and started to follow the two as they began walking again. The shortie actually talked on the way and pointed out several of the more important spots along the way. But he kind of seemed sort of annoyed at something, his face contorted into a slight frown the whole way.

I was about to ask him if something was wrong when we got to the 5th division barracks when I decided to take over the position of 'guide' from Toshiro.

--

(Hitsugaya's POV -1st perspective-)

As soon as we arrived at the 5th division's barracks, the loud orange-haired captain decided to take over as guide, which I wasn't too reluctant to hand over.

We entered and encountered a crowd of people gathered in the main hall, probably recently to greet the new captain. After catching sight of us, they bowed one by one, greeting us.

Shizuka-taichou stepped forward and presented herself as their new captain, being the very picture of professionalism and having perfect control. After bowing and the entire squad bowing in return, she made a very unexpected announcement, one that left everyone murmuring to their neighbor and even me to ponder on what she said.

"I know of our current situation of our fuku-taichou and I realize it is enough of a change for a new taichou. However, I think it is best we have a fuku-taichou as soon as possible, which is why I have appointed one who will be arriving very soon. His name is Shizuka Kai and he is my brother."

Japanese terms & explanations-

(1) Seiretei- Court of Pure Souls; where the shinigami of Gotei 13 (13 Protection Squads) reside in

(2) '_11 __pairs of __eyes_'- Just to clear this up, there's obviously 13 captains (Gotei 13), but Yamamoto-taichou is beside her and knows about her, so he's not going to stare and she herself is the 5th Division's captain. (_**13**__ captains __**-**__**1**__ 1__st__ division captain __**- 1**__ 5__th__ division captain __**11**__ captains _LOL )

(3) Hyorinmaru- (literally) Ice Ring; Hitsugaya's zanpaktou

(4) Hai- Yes

First of all, I would like to thank my reviewers for their lovely reviews; they really gave me hope for my writing. I would also like to thank those who favorited. I am sorry for my late update. .

Second, I apologize if you found this chapter very tedious; I am not a big fan of rushing a plot and jumping head-first into the main situation. I also have to make sure the situation is clearly understood and I like to describe it step by step. I will try to work my way up to it very soon. Please expect it!

It has come to my attention that some people might find my term explanations (parentheses) very annoying. This is mainly for the people who watch the ENGLISH-DUBBED anime. I have only watched one episode of it and I have the impression that they trade in a lot of Japanese terms for English ones, thus why I am doing this. I never knew it would offend anyone in any way, I'm so sorry! It will get less as the story goes on.

I AM STILL IN DESPERATE NEED OF AN EDITOR (OR BETA I think that's what they're called) Please leave a message or a review indicating that you are interested.

Lastly, thank you so much for reading to the end of this so far *bowing*. I would appreciate reviews so much. Constructive criticism is encouraged though please refrain from flamers. Look forward to the next chapter onegaishimas!


	3. Chapter 3: Questioning Mind

**NOTE: I have made some minor changes in the previous chapters but there is one major one that I would like people to note. Rukia is not 13th division's 4th seat, but vice-captain. There is another change that is important, but something that you'll have to find on your own... ^^'. I wonder if you can find it ~~ (Hint: The change is used again in this chapter and is a word; extremely subtle). You can reread if you would like to.**

Also, concerning POV's: I will usually start with Hitsugaya's third-person POV, then when/if I switch, I will write whose it is at the beginning. Just to make it easier ^^

Disclaimer: Once again, I do not own Bleach, and any part of this fanfic that corresponds with copyrighted material (besides Bleach) is purely coincidental unless I say otherwise. I only own this plot and my original character (OC)

Last Chapter:

"_I know of our current situation of our fuku-taichou and I realize it is enough of a change for a new taichou. However, I think it is best we have a fuku-taichou as soon as possible, which is why I have appointed one who will be arriving very soon. His name is Shizuka Kai and he is my brother."_

**CHAPTER THREE: QUESTIONING MIND**

Walking back from the 5th squad barracks where he had left Shizuka-taichou to acquaint herself with her subordinates as well as Kurosaki, he had a lot of events to think over.

Among them was her sudden announcement of a new vice-captain. He, and judging by their expressions, and the 5th squad at least, had expected her to keep Momo as her vice-captain, comatose as she was. It might've been expected later, but to do so now was a risky gamble; it could either help her acceptance among the squad or entirely backfire on her. It didn't help either that she publicly announced he was her brother as well. Captains generally avoided promoting relatives knowing that it could be seen as favoritism towards kin and create animosity among them and their squad. Especially since she was a new captain and no one knew of her personality.

But foremost in his pondering was when they had eye contact. As well as the immediate pain that followed, why was Hyorinmaru roaring? Though they could establish a mental link easily since they were familiar with each other, they never did so before. He would have to ask the dragon when he was back in his room…

Deep in his thoughts, he didn't notice a person standing in the middle of the hall until he bumped into him. Looking up, his vision was filled with pink for a second as Yachiru jumped off Zaraki's shoulder right in front of him. He was greeted with Yachiru's typical "Hi, Shiro-chan!" before he looked up to see Zaraki's wolfish grin.

He mentally sighed; he really didn't want to talk to him right now. Besides, he was pretty sure he knew what he wanted.

As if to confirm his thoughts, Zaraki's grin grew bigger and opened: "Oi chibi, where's Kurosaki?"

He grimaced at the nickname, but decided not to protest; he was too tired for this.

"Last time I saw him, he was with the new captain." After saying that, he made to pass by Zaraki but was unable to with a side step by the bigger man.

"Is she strong?"

Looking up, he had a sinking feeling accompanying the rapidly growing savage grin on 11th division captain at the prospect of a new strong opponent to fight against.

Carefully keeping a bland expression on his face with no sign of frustration whatsoever, he casually answered "I don't know, I only showed her around before Kurosaki decided to take over"

"Oi, I asked if she was strong."

"I don't know. She probably is since she got promoted to a captain. Why don't you go and ask her yourself? You can look around the 5th division barracks since that was where I last left them."

Their conversation, if you could call it that, was interrupted by Yachiru's overenthusiastic answer of "Let's Go Ken-chan!~~~"

With that, so called 'Ken-chan' left under Yachiru's demands and her self-said impeccable sense of direction accompanied with a cheerful "Bye bye Shiro-chan!~~~" directed at him.

With that catastrophe moved off his plate, though he did kind of feel bad for the new captain and Kurosaki, he moved off again with the full intention of going back to his room to rest.

--

He sat in his quarters looking outside at the sun setting over the proud buildings of Seiretei. Though he came from the best section of Rukongai, he had decided to reside in Seiretei since it was the most convenient for his work. He knew some shinigami who declined housing in Seiretei and lived in Rukongai, but the majority did otherwise. There wasn't any deep meaning to it; it was simply convenient and usually better than living in the districts of Rukongai. But now and then, when he felt nostalgia he would go back and simply roam the streets thinking back on the days before he became a shinigami.

Right now was one of those times.

But it wasn't the right time to dwell on those days. Directing his concentration to the present, he took up his zanpaktou lying next to him. Sliding the blade out of the sheath, he gazed at the reflecting metal and let his mind to sink into total tranquility; the key that allowed him access to his inner world.

Allowing his eyes to slowly close, he meditated before opening his "inner eyes" to gaze on an icy plain lit in ever-present moonlight; his inner world.

He frowned slightly; something was off.

Though it was only a slight change, he could tell the temperature had warmed. It would still feel chilly to the normal person, but it felt irritating to him. After all, he welcomed the freezing temperature that normally permeated the landscape.

He disregarded it and slowly stepped toward the center where he knew his zanpaktou's spirit resided. The landscape didn't change much. It was completely still and quiet here, except for the sound of grass stalks crackling underfoot and his steady breathing as he traversed.

Finally he arrived to the sight of what seemed to be coils of ice. There was no reaction to his arrival but he waited patiently.

Then there was movement. Among the coils, he recognized Hyorinmaru's head rising up. The rest of his body sinuously moved but remained in the same place.

Hyorinmaru's head descended until his eyes were on the same level as his.

'Hello, little one.' The ruby-red eyes stared at him intensely while the voice of their owner rumbled in his head.

"Why were you making such a fuss earlier?" He didn't even bother with the niceties; he deserved an answer.

'That, little one, is something I cannot answer.'

"What do you mean?"

The answer was slow, as if the dragon was weighing each word before he said it. 'It was not something I did voluntarily, but, rather... like instinct. I was slumbering when the urge came to me and I submitted to it. I cannot explain to you anymore than that.'

Then before he could ask his zanpaktou anymore, the icy head rose, breaking eye contact. 'I am sorry for the pain. However, it is time that you return. I sense something coming'

With that, he sensed himself returning to his body and opened his eyes. He was simply more frustrated and he was stiff. A quick glance outside confirmed that it was long past nightfall, showing that he had been in his inner world far longer than he had planned to. He slid his zanpaktou's blade back into the sheath and laid it next to him.

Leaning against the wall, he stretched to relieve his stiff muscles before relaxing and starting to close his eyes in order to rest.

It struck before even a minute passed.

Reiatsu of an immense scale suddenly overwhelmed him, causing his eyes to snap open and him to gasp. It didnt't feel aggressive or harmful, but the sheer quantity of it made him instantly wary. It passed a short while afterward, which he grateful for.

Taking half a second to gather his thoughts, he instantly got up and hastily tied his zanpaktou onto his back. Closing his eyes to better spread his other senses, he located where the source of the overwhelming reiatsu had come from. It wasn't hard, seeing as it was still pulsating weak waves of reiatsu throughout Seiretei.

Flinging the door open, he started flash-stepping toward it, keeping to the rooftops so he could see where he was approaching. On his way, he was disturbed by the fact there was nobody panicking, screaming, or anything of the sort. It was completely still except for the few people walking around. There was no tense atmosphere, nothing to indicate an explosion of reiatsu had just gone off. He considered stopping for a minute to ask someone if they had felt it, but decided it would be best to find out himself what was going on.

Close to his destination, he went down to the street and masked his reiatsu. Grasping the hilt of his zanpaktou, he edged toward the corner and carefully looked out.

The sight that met him widened his eyes and loosened his grip on Hyorinmaru.

--

(Akari's third-person POV)

It was tiring.

Feeding her reiatsu into the gate in small amounts at a steady rate so it would open while suppressing was a delicate matter. She knew Yamamoto was nearby ready to stand in with the key if she allowed him to; it was simply that she refused to let him that led to this situation.

There was also the fact that she spent most of her time until now trying to escape a certain menacing-looking 11th division captain with a overhyper pink-haired kid clinging on him.

While she was acquainting herself with her new subordinates, she sensed a certain reiatsu that seemed to be heading toward them quite rapidly and excitedly. Being curious, she had motioned Kurosaki-taichou over and asked about it. After telling him, she was amused to see the orange-haired man turn pale and look about him wildly in fear. Apparently finding nothing, he had grabbed her and dragged her out of the barracks along with hurried excuses and apologies.

She had been surprised to say the least and had tried to convince him to stop, but to no avail. Finally, she gave up and decided to run with him, asking why. He had answered without stopping, telling her about Zaraki-taichou's fetish with fighting (usually to the point of serious injury or even death) and that he was probably after both of them. Needless to say, she started running willingly away from the now predatory reiatsu and ended up doing so for the rest of the day. She probably wouldn't have believed such things, but Kurosaki-taichou's immediate escape and fear coupled with the impression that he was an honorable man convinced her.

At one point during their 'chase', she had purposely fallen behind and hidden, suppressing her reiatsu as much as she could. Peeking behind a convenient wall, she had waited for a few minutes before catching sight of a figure that she deduced to be her 'pursuer' judging by the white captain's coat. He was too far away to make out the details, but she could see that he was immense and that there was what appeared to be a pink blob on his shoulder. As they approached, she saw that the blob was actually a small child clinging on the man's shoulder. Seeing that, she would've gone out and introduced herself if she didn't see his face. He had a savage grin on his face, like that of a predator intent on its prey, and with a gleam in his eyes, she had decided to stay hidden and avoid confrontation with him. Though it might have not been the politest thing to do, her intuition had been telling her to avoid him, at least while he looked so excited and she trusted her intuition enough to follow it. Thus, she had spent the day running away from 11th division captain.

But despite her less than best conditions, there was progress; just a short while ago the gate had finally materialized and sent a wave of massive reiatsu surging throughout Soul Society. Thankfully, it consisted only of a special kind that could only be detected by those who were naturally attuned to it or trained to. She grimaced; she could only imagine the pandemonium that would occur if it were otherwise.

Feeling a slight pulse, she turned her full attention back to the gate in front of her. It was impressive; it was tall as the nearby buildings and its width was enough for 10 people side by side. The edge was silvery-white while the actual doors were a bold red. The whole gate was engraved and gilded with designs alternating between white and yellow gold. The corners were dominated by 4 embedded jewels that represented the corresponding elements. The top left boasted a ruby, the top right a garnet, the bottom left a sapphire and the bottom right an emerald. However, they were overshadowed by the huge crest in the middle. A phoenix with outstretched wings in a ring that was circled by a dragon was in the dead center and attracted all attention. In the phoenix's embrace was a seal that required an appropriate key in order for the mighty gate to open.

Taking a deep breath, she drew out her zanpaktou and set it glowing with as much of her reiatsu as she dared to. Finally, all preparations complete, she stepped toward the gate and slid the blade into the seal in one quick motion.

The gate responded immediately. The light from her blade spread until the whole thing was glowing faintly and a creaking noise could be heard. She took her zanpaktou out and stepped away from the gate as the doors opened outward.

The light that emitted was blindingly bright before subsiding to reveal figures stepping through the gate.

Squinting her eyes a bit, she recognized her brother as the leader followed by 2 guards flanking him. She frowned; instead of wearing the shinigami uniform as she had instructed him to, he was still wearing the formal kimono at their residence.

She stepped forward, nodding toward Kai before facing the guards who immediately bowed before her. After they had straightened once again and was meeting her gaze she thanked them before telling them to return.

Silently, they obeyed the order. The gate shone for an instant while they passed.

Once they were gone with the gate disappearing shortly after, she slowly turned to her brother. Saying nothing, she simply stared at him until he started fidgeting and avoiding her piercing stare. With that, she allowed a slight smile to creep on her face before telling him to follow her.

--

Japanese terms & explanations:

I didn't think there were any terms that needed explaining in this chapter, but if you are confused, please feel free to ask me!

**AUTHOR'S NOTES:**

First of all, I would like to say that I am so sorry for my late update. My personal life became hectic not to mention my obsession for Bleach resided a little and I started getting sidetracked by other animes -.-''... I can't promise that I will update sooner, but my GOAL is once a month or 2 months (again, not promising anything).

Anyway, about the chapter...

I was going to make this chapter shorter to update as soon as possible, but I decided that it would be unfair for the readers to be cheated out of a longer chapter when I procrastinated updating for such a long time. The confrontation between Hyorinmaru and Hitsugaya was going to be longer, but I couldn't find a way to express what I wanted without it becoming awkward to the reader. The next chapter will begin with a brief repeat in Hitsugaya's perspective to add in more details. (Warning: I will probably not add in to much details about the clothing simply because I am not too familiar with Japanese clothing). I am sorry if you think this particular chapter is a bit sloppy; I personally think it is a bit.

There is a favor that I am requesting of my readers because of my own stubborn curiosity ^^. Based on my writing style, how old/what grade would you think I (as the author) am in.

Last of all, I would like to thank all my reviewers so far: dokuki, hikari6007, emerald tiara, animalkingdom13, and o-dragon. Please continue to support my story~~! ^^

PLEASE LEAVE A REVIEW AND THANK YOU FOR READING!!! LOOK FORWARD TO MY NEXT CHAPTER!!! ~~~


	4. Chapter 4: Congratulatory Party

Disclaimer: Once again, I do not own Bleach, and any part of this fanfic that corresponds with copyrighted material (besides Bleach) is purely coincidental unless I say otherwise. I only own this plot and my original characters (OCs)

Author's Note: I completely forgot to mention this in my other chapters- Amagai Shuusuke is still the captain of the 3rd squad (consider the part of him getting involved with the Bakkoutou & Kasumi-Ouji family and wanting revenge against Yamamoto completely void for this story ^^') For those who don't know who this is: he was introduced during the 'New Captain' arc of the anime (I don't know if it's out in dubbed yet) which was just used as filler episodes only. Moving on…

**CHAPTER FOUR: CONGRATULATORY PARTY**

Peeking out from the wall he was hiding behind, he could only watch wide-eyed at what was unfolding before him.

In the clearing among the tall buildings of Seiretei, he could identify Shizuka-taichou by the white captain's coat with the character for five as well as Yamamoto sou-taichou standing off to the side of the whole spectacle. With his angle of sight, he couldn't get a clear view, but it was enough that he could see Shizuka-taichou's movements.

She was standing with her arms up, her left bracing her right arm as her palm faced outward. Her reiatsu level was high enough that it could be seen as a faint golden light flickering around her figure. The same light could be seen streaming toward her outstretched palm and beyond to a certain point just in front of her. As he watched, he could see a shape taking place from the light and as it slowly solidified, he could recognize it as a gate or a door. But it was unlike any he had seen before and he gazed at it awestruck.

Then, Shizuka-taichou suddenly let her arms down, her reiatsu subsiding until it couldn't be visibly seen anymore. She pulled one of her zanpaktous out of its sheath; the burgundy one he noted. The blade reflected some of the light still surrounding the gate and he could see it as a sliver of bright light. She brought it parallel before her and ran her right palm across the flat of the blade. As she did so, her reiatsu flared up again and this time collected in her zanpaktou. By the time she finished, the sword was glowing fiercely with its own golden light.

Then, in one sudden movement, she stepped toward the gate and stabbed it with her zanpaktou in the center. The result was almost instantaneous. The glow that had filled her sword exploded outward and the whole structure became almost blindingly bright. Closing his eyes for a moment, he opened them again to find the new captain in the same place she was before with her zanpaktou back in its sheath.

The gate was still glowing faintly and then a creaking noise could be heard. The door opened outward and 3 figures could be seen stepping through.

The one leading was clearly male and the tallest. He carried himself with authority, clearly used to having so and strode confidently in front of the others. His short hair was a metallic shade of blonde and what features Hitsugaya could see were well-defined and quite handsome.

However, his clothes were what caught most of the 10th captain's attention.

It was neither the standard shinigami uniform nor the plain informal kimono most shinigami would wear off duty. It was a rather formal one and from one look he could tell it was made of silk or some other high-quality material. The hakama was pale silvery-gray and had no decorations as far as he could see, but the haori was a whole different story. It was a deep midnight blue, almost black and had silver embroidery along the edges. The same silver could be seen as tasteful swirls designing the rest of it resulting in a quite beautiful and elegant piece of clothing. Anybody could see that it was the work of master craftsmanship and probably worth its weight in gold.

Drinking the sight in, Hitsugaya could only come to one conclusion that he was a noble; probably from a high-ranking one too.

Shifting his attention, he focused on the two others following. The taller one of the pair was a man of unruly black hair while the other was a woman with reddish-brown hair tied in a bun.

They both wore the same clothes that looked similar to the shinigami uniform. The bottom was exactly the same, but the top looked slightly modified. The normally long sleeves were cut to the shoulder but their arms weren't bare. Instead, it looked like there was another layer underneath that covered them. The sleeves were as long as or even longer than the originals and were a gossamer silvery-white with golden designs on them.

Another thing that caught his attention was the katanas on their sides. Based on their clothes, he was almost sure that they were zanpaktous. With a bit of squinting on his part, he was able to discern that the woman's sheath was a dark turquoise while the man's was a pale amethyst. But other than that, they were too far away to see.

Based on what he saw, it was obvious that the two were of lower rank than the one they were following. He would even go so far to say that they were guards.

He was pulled back from his thoughts as they approached Shizuka-taichou. She gave a little nod to the leader before turning to the others. They instantly bowed and when they rose he saw her lips moving before they turned back around and reentered the gate. It gave off a brighter glow as they passed before it disappeared all together.

With the absence of the gate, the only source of light was the faint moonlight. He could see even less and could only see their outline. Looking around, he noticed Yamamoto sou-taichou was gone already. The two figures were now face to face, though the man was a full 5 or 6 inches taller. There was no word exchanged for a while, just staring until the man started to fidget a little, obviously uncomfortable under Shizuka-taichou's pointed stare. At that, Shizuka-taichou smiled before she started to walk off, the taller man following close behind.

He watched their receding backs until they turned a corner out of sight, his thoughts turning inward. It would appear Shizuka-taichou came from a high noble family; which one was indicated by the modification of the uniforms of the guards. He'd have to research and find out exactly which since he'd never heard the name 'Shizuka' as a noble family name.

Still mulling over the events of the evening, he straightened up and started to walk back to his quarters slowly.

--

"..chou…taichou...Taichou…TAICHOU!"

He looked up from his concentration on his paperwork to see his fuku-taichou precariously balanced on his desk with her left hand as her support. Leaning across the desk, her face was literally only inches away from his own with her outstretched right hand even closer. He immediately backed away to a reasonable distance before focusing on Matsumoto's face. The older woman's face was brighter than was normal and seeing him meet her gaze, shoved her hand toward him.

A familiar black butterfly with a dark pink pattern was perched upon her index finger, its wings slightly moving up and down. He stretched out his own finger to accept the messenger and the butterfly alit on it.

"_There will be a congratulatory meeting for the new captain and vice-captain of the 5__th__ squad, Shizuka Akari and Shizuka Kai, this evening in the central courtyard. All captains and fuku-taichous are required to attend. Any other shinigami are welcome to attend, but is not mandatory. Formal dress is encouraged, but shinigami uniform is acceptable. "_

With the end of the message, the hell butterfly flitted off out the window, leaving Hitsugaya to stare at an empty hand.

Despite the wording, he could unfortunately see the truth all too clearly.

It was a _party_.

And all captains and vice-captains were required to attend. Meaning him and Matsumoto as well…

Woodenly, he lifted his head to meet Matsumoto's gaze. She had moved back to behind the fortress of his desk and was clasping her hands together. Her face had gone from simply bright to downright unsuppressed excitement.

"Taichou, it's a _party_! I've never imagined the day would come that Gotei 13 would actually mandate a party! Speaking of which…"

Listening to his vice-captain continue to ramble, he closed his eyes, groaned, and pinched the bridge of his nose.

"Matsumoto, it's a _congratulatory meeting_, not a party. There's a difference. Did you finish your paperwork?"

He knew it was probably a futile effort to stop her enthusiasm, but he said it in a vain hope that she would listen to at least some small degree. At his words, her figure stiffened and she gave an awkward laugh.

"Haha, taichou… About that… It's a funny thing actually. See I was working hard like always, but then Ichigo went missing and I had to help find him and I just came back. Then that message just came and so I have to get ready… It's mandatory after all; part of a fuku-taichou's job! I'll see you later taichou! At the PARTY! ~~~"

As she was nervously talking, she had slowly but steadily inched backward towards the door. At the threshold, she had bolted saying the final words behind her back.

Hearing her footsteps fade away, he slowly opened his eyes and groaned again. He could've and actually should've stopped her from leaving. But if he forcibly made her stay, he knew how it would turn out. She wouldn't concentrate on her own work, instead constantly trying to engage him in a conversation about the meeting (he refused to acknowledge the term party), disrupting his own work. Then, when her excitement became too much, she would drag him as well in getting ready for the meeting and he certainly didn't need that.

Reaching in his frequently opened drawer, he pulled out a familiar packet of pills and swallowed two, preparing himself to once again do the immense paperwork of two people.

--

He knew exactly when the 'meeting' had started.

He knew because of the increasingly growing rowdiness of his subordinates expressed through shouting, running and other noise outside his office.

Though he was quite known to be prompt in his general character, he couldn't help but procrastinate as much as possible, even entertaining the idea of skipping for a brief moment. He heard most of the noise die away as the majority of his squad left the barracks and knew he couldn't put it off for much longer. Heaving a sigh, he shoved the remaining paperwork to a corner of his desk before standing up. He straightened his robes for a minute before turning to walk out of his office with a face not much different of that of a martyr.

--

It wasn't as bad as he thought it would be.

It was still a bit rowdier than he would've liked it with the sake in circulation, but it wasn't as worse as it could be (probably due to the presence of all the captains as well as the captain-commander).

Looking over his cup of severely diluted sake (he refused to get drunk in front of the entire Gotei 13) that he was drinking, he observed the mass of people that took up the main courtyard of Seiretei. Most were still in their uniforms though now and then he could spot a figure in other clothing. He had seen Matsumoto earlier in a semi-formal kimono that was actually quite pretty (though he had no idea how she came about of acquiring it). No doubt, she was considerably drunk by now along with her friends…

Speaking of being drunk, his eyes were drawn to the unmistakable cluster consisting mainly of 11th squad officers. They were usually loud to begin with, but being drunk just made it even worse. Now and then, there were the sounds of a brief scuffle, usually with one Zaraki Kenpachi or Madarame Ikkaku in the middle of it, his bald head glinting for all to see. He could only shake his head at the exasperating behavior of the squadron.

Still absentmindedly looking, his attention was caught by a flash of red. Focusing, he realized he was looking at the group consisting of Shizuka-taichou, her fuku-taichou and various other members of Gotei 13 crowding to congratulate her on her promotion. He remembered that was the excuse for the 'm

He watched several people drift from the tightly-packed group that obscured the new captain and her vice-captain from view and decided it was time for him to give his greetings.

He threw away his now empty cup and approached them. People on the outer edge immediately moved upon realizing who he was and he was able to penetrate through the group until he reached the inner circle. There he found several captains and their vice-captains already there along with Shizuka-taichou, including Ukitake, Kurosaki, and Kyoraku. They were clustered together and leisurely talking, Shizuka-taichou looking up whenever someone demanded her attention to politely respond before resuming whatever conversation they were having.

Looking over the group of vice-captains, he was startled by the sight of the man that he had seen yesterday among them. He was now dressed in the standard shinigami uniform which explained why he didn't notice him earlier. Pausing in his approach, he saw the armband/badge showing that he was vice-captain for 5th squad and concluded that he was Shizuka-taichou's brother, which explained their relationship the night before. Slightly glad that he had figured who he was, he continued on his way to the clustered group.

When he got close enough, they all looked up to give their own respective greetings to him ('Hitsugaya-taichou/Toushiro/Hitsugaya-kun good evening' and other variations) before making space for him to join. He nodded towards them as his own greeting and was about to congratulate the new captain when he was interrupted in the form of Matsumoto bursting in the circle unannounced.

She ended up leaning on his slightly shorter form and he instantly noticed the telltale smell of alcohol around her and the slight pink in her face. She let out a cheery 'hello' for the group before giggling drunkenly. Holding up a bottle of alcohol, she offered it to the people around her and before anybody could answer, started pouring into the cups held in their hands. Thankfully, all present were used to Matsumoto's actions, being dragged to and/or willingly going to a sake party with her (at least Kuchiki-taichou wasn't there; he could only shudder at the thought of his fuku-taichou doing it to the strict noble).

When Matsumoto got to Shizuka-taichou, she blinked slowly for a moment with the alcohol muddling her mind before grinning widely in recognition.

"Ah, Shizuka-taichou! Let's have a toast! Here…" She immediately seized the momentarily confused captain's cup and poured a fair amount of the liquid from the bottle she held into it. Shoving it back into the unmoving hands, she raised her bottle into the air.

Just before her mouth opened, she was interrupted by a soft voice.

"Ah Matsumoto fuku-taichou, I'm afraid I can't stand alcohol." Everyone turned to look at Shizuka-taichou, her mouth twisted in a wry smile. It quickly turned into a slight look of horror at the following action.

"Ehh, but you have to~~~ See…" Saying that, Matsumoto turned around and started in a loud voice, enough that it made him want to cover his ears.

"A TOAST TO SHIZUKA-TAICHOU!!!!!!!!!~~~~~~" Unsurprisingly, her voice carried and most of the crowd turned to look at her with startled eyes. Recovering from their shock, they raised their own beverages to accept her toast as Matsumoto herself started to gulp down her bottle.

The sound of someone falling to the ground and various voices crying "Amagai-taichou!" nearby caused several people to chuckle, by now used to the 3rd division's captain's bouts of unconsciousness caused by alcohol that weren't too rare with him being easily convinced to drink.

Everyone in the circle (except Hitsugaya; thankfully saved from drinking with the excuse of not having a cup available) drank their own cups, chuckling slightly at the unsurprising development. Seeing the others, Shizuka-taichou grimaced a little before slowly drinking her own drink.

It was quite noticeable that her statement on her low alcohol tolerance was true. Her face quickly became flushed and the once piercing eye turned glassy. Swaying a bit on her feet, she started to fall forward until Kurosaki was able to catch her. He stood there awkwardly for a second with one arm around her waist to stop her from totally toppling over and looking around almost pleadingly for someone to help him. In turn, they looked around at each other, wondering what to do before Kyoraku decided to help in supporting her so Kurosaki wasn't in such an uncomfortable position.

Luckily, the vice-captains noticed something off in their group and came over. Before long, they stood alongside their captains, looking over the unmoving captain with worried looks.

"Ah, I'm guessing that taichou drank some alcohol…?"

Their attention was diverted to the silvery-blond man that spoke. Stormy grey eyes assessed the situation calmly with a slight mirth. Noticing some confused looks, he quickly introduced himself as Shizuka Kai, newly instated fuku-taichou of the 5th squad.

"Eh, does that mean this happens a lot?" The question was asked by Kyoraku whose expression had changed to disappointment upon realizing the possibility of having a new drinking partner was gone.

"Yes, I'm afraid so… Will you allow me to take her now?" Stepping forward with arms stretched outward to take the unconscious girl, he proved himself to have a very tall build (a fact that Hitsugaya processed quite sourly).

Kurosaki and Kyoraku eagerly passed her off, but somehow during the process, the girl's fingers had caught ahold of Hitsugaya's sleeve and were holding onto it with an iron grip. So now, Shizuka-taichou's body was supported by her brother's while keeping a firm hold on Hitsugaya's sleeve. It didn't appear she was waking up now or anytime soon either as her flushed face was quite peaceful with a contented smile on her face.

He futilely tried to pry the unrelenting fingers off much to the amusement of those around him. Glancing up, he thought he caught a look of chilling hostility on Shizuka-fuku-taichou's face for a split second. Before he could ponder on it, it subsided into a smile that matched the ones on the others as he turned his full attention back on regaining the mobility of his arm.

Finally giving up, he crossed his arms (a feat that proved a bit difficult) and scowled at the others who were now trying to keep from laughing out loud at the ridiculous situation.

Surprisingly, it was the 8th squad captain that came up with a somewhat reasonable solution (at least to the others; it was quite ridiculous in his opinion).

"Why don't you take the captain back Toshiro? After all, it doesn't look like she's going anywhere herself or if she wants to let go you that's for sure."

At that, he found himself holding the limp body of one Shizuka Akari, being immediately passed on by Kyoraku with no chance for him or her brother to refuse. Unsurprisingly considering her petite build, she was light and he was able to support her easily. He saw Shizuku fuku-taichou starting to talk, maybe in protest, but he didn't get a chance as several bodies blocked him to shove Toshiro forward.

Grudgingly, in order to save face, he said farewell amongst the suppressed laughter and started off toward the direction of the 5th squad building.

Turning a corner out of sight, he stopped for a moment to adjust his grip on the girl and ended up carrying her bridal style. Hopefully, since most of Seireitei's shinigami population was currently in the central courtyard, he wouldn't encounter someone who would recognize him and gawk at the unusual sight of the 10th squad's captain, known for his frosty demeanor, carrying the new 5th squad captain. He could only imagine the rumors that would start.

Continuing to walk at a leisurely rate, he found himself reveling in the brisk night air accompanied with the peaceful silence that usually fell upon Seiretei at this time. It was a full moon tonight and the light caught his surroundings in a silver glow. His mind at peace, it began to wander onto random topics of little consequence.

Suddenly, his attention was snapped back to the now moving figure in his arms. She had relinquished her death grip on her sleeve somewhere during the walk, but she was now clutching the front of his robes. He stopped walking, hoping that the movements meant that she was close to waking up.

Unfortunately, it didn't seem that that was the case. Instead, she was mumbling words, obviously in the middle of a dream.

He sighed and continued walking. However, that action was soon stopped on account of a shocking event that left him flabbergasted and gaping in disbelief.

The petite girl's previous mumbles were now slowly becoming more intelligible and louder. All of sudden, she pulled herself up to his level and kissed him firmly on the cheek along with the words of "I love you too Yuki…" accompanied with a sigh. Though her voice faded out near the end, it was said with such conviction that he would've believed she was awake if it wasn't for the fact that her eyes were still closed and she immediately fell back on the support of his arms after uttering the statement.

'_Wha…?'_

--

**AUTHOR'S NOTES:**

I'm very sorry I updated so late T.T

Though it could be partly blamed on my laziness, all the computers available to me were down for quite a while to a certain extent. Also, I was busy and fanfiction was more of a distant dream for me for a while… -.-". I was literally only able to type a few sentences at spare moments of time.

Looking at this, I've decided to stop setting update times since this is unfair for my readers. I know for myself from the viewpoint of a reader the frustration one feels when a writer promises an update at a certain time and it just doesn't happen. Updates will happen at unequal intervals.

On the topic of updates, my next chapter will probably will be shorter than usual (though that might change as well… I don't know if anybody noticed, but my chapters have been steadily increasing in size lol)

I would still like to ask people about their thoughts on my reading style… please comment 

_About the chapter…_

I have a habit of constantly rereading my current chapter and editing them before continuing. Though it may result in a better chapter sometimes, it was just downright annoying in this chapter =.=.

I'm pretty sure this is my longest chapter yet (Woohoo!) though I don't know how it turned out to be that way… it just didn't feel right to stop somewhere in the middle of it ^^. Actually the last part of this came as a surprise for me as well kk~~~. I was worrying how to end it, but somehow the story guided me… I'm betting it came as a surprise for most of you as well lol.

This was actually supposed to be more of a humorous chapter, but as you can see, I suck epically at humor and my pitiful attempt reflects that; thus it somehow turned into a serious chapter again to my dismay -.-

Thanks to Hatake Nyra for being my (unofficial) beta-reader :) LOVE YA~~~

A big shout-out also to my reviewers for the last chapter ^^

Thoughts, comments, suggestions, PLEASE REVIEW!!!~~~~ (They really just make my day ^^) No flamers though…


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